Davis started playing basketball when she was 7, but it wasn’t easy for her to convince her father to train her. “I hung around my father a lot and one day I asked him to teach me to play,” Davis said. “He had trained my brother and I wanted him to train me,” she said. The young girl had to threaten to tell her mom on him, and it worked out.

“He’s actually bad at basketball,” she said with a laugh, “so I don’t know how he did what he did. Alan Iverson was a favorite of mine, and my dad bought the Iverson DVD. He was definitely a big part in training for me, and my dad even called me Iversina.”

Davis played in middle school and high school and then went off to college to play basketball on a full scholarship, where she was among the leaders in scoring, assists and three pointers. She topped off her college athletics by graduating with a degree in business. “Education is very important,” she said. “My parents instilled that in me.”

One of the main reasons loves being a Globetrotter is that she gets to pass along so many good messages to children. “They are our future,” she said.

“We’re constantly going to schools talking about things like health and fitness, and we visit hospitals and put smiles on kids’ faces who aren’t fortunate to be able to come to our games.

“We also try to pass along good messages like following your dreams and listen to your parents, teachers and counselors. ‘Believe in yourself.’ Messages that are very important.”

She said that playing and performing is another way to bring families together. For two hours, people get to watch skilled athletes and entertainers play and forget everything else. They can have a really good time with their friends and family and create a lifetime memory, she said.

“We’re able to be that lifetime memory with them, and that’s something we really pride ourselves upon.”

It’s very special for Davis to inspire girls and boys. “The first female Globetrotter was Lynette Woodard in 1985,” she said, “And, I am so happy to be following in her footsteps. I want to help young athletes and tell them they can do whatever they want to do in life, as long as they work hard and stay focused and keep believing in their dreams and stay confident and positive.